Andover made its annual trek to the Molten Southwest Minnesota Challenge, going 2-3 to move its overall record to 2-6.

The Huskies opened the tournament with 2-0 wins over Class A teams Southwest Star Concept (25-19, 28-27) and Russel-Tyler-Ruthton (25-22, 25-17).

Andover lost the final three matches 0-2 against Owatonna, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa and Jamestown (N.D.).
Coon Rapids hitter Alexis Barmon, right, hits over a Deer River player during the Keller Classic at Coon Rapids, Sept. 7.Photo by Bill Jones

Andover opened the season with a 3-2 loss at North Branch Aug. 27 and was swept 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 25-12) at No. 6 ranked Minnetonka Sept. 5.

Junior hitter Haley Tollette leads the team with 32 kills, including a season-high 11 in the opener against North Branch. She had a team-high four kills against Minnetonka and added 10 kills against Southwest Star Concept.

Junior setter Amanda Hayko has 46 assists, 21 kills and seven ace serves. She had 41 assists, 15 kills and five aces at the tournament in Marshall.

Senior setter Maddy Hahn has 62 assists, 52 digs and six aces in 18 sets played. She had 23 assists against North Branch and 13 against Southwest Star Concept.

Junior Libero Hannah Peterson leads the team with 78 digs, including 28 against North Branch and 78 serve receives, including 29 against Owatonna.

Senior middle blocker Hannah Wolfe leads the team with 12 blocks, including six against Russell-Tyler-Ruthton.
Coon Rapids’ Ali Fredrickson and Jessica Hegg block a Deer River hitter during the Keller Classic Sept. 7. Photo by Bill Jones

Andover returned to conference action Tuesday night, only to be swept by Armstrong 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-23) and returns home to face No. 3-ranked Blaine Sept. 12.

Blaine

The No. 3-ranked Bengals (3-0) entered Tuesday’s Northwest Suburban Conference match at Osseo on the heels of a 3-0 (25-16, 25-3, 26-6) win at Coon Rapids to open the conference schedule Sept. 5.

Blaine opened the season with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-17) win against Hill-Murray in the Blaine Fieldhouse Aug. 28 and handed No. 6-ranked Minnetonka a 3-0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-22) loss Sept. 3.

Anoka

Going the distance would be a fair way to assess Anoka volleyball’s 4-2 record since the team has played at least four sets in five of six matches this fall.

The Tornadoes opened a four-match stretch against Northwest Suburban Conference foes with a 3-1 win against Elk River. The schedule includes Centennial, Park Center and Champlin Park before competing in the Blaine Invite Sept. 28.

Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Elk River is a good example of the roller coaster ride so far. Anoka led the match 2-0, winning 25-17 and 25-22 before the Elks rallied to win set three 25-20. Anoka’s offense took care of the Elks in set four to seal the win 25-7.

Senior Megan Lindenfelser leads the team with 89 kills, 49 digs and nine blocks. Abbey Sis and Sam Brannen each have 98 assists and Brannen has 13 aces. Senior Mikayla Hong has a team-high 64 digs to go with 61 kills.

Coon Rapids

The Cardinals (2-6) posted a 2-3 record en route to an 11th-place finish at their home Keller Classic Sept. 7.

Coon Rapids defeated Mahtomedi 2-0 (25-15, 25-21) in the 11th-place match after losing to Deer River in the Bronze Division semifinal. Coon Rapids opened the tournament with a 1-2 record in pool play.

The lone win in the preliminary pool round came against White Bear Lake 2-0 (25-18, 27-25), while Orono and Chisago Lakes swept the Cardinals 2-0.

Grand Rapids beat Edina 2-1 in the championship match. Edina won the opening game 25-23 before Grand Rapids put away the Hornets 25-17 and 15-12.